Regarding CBD oil, Utah has come a long way in only a few short years. They’ve gone from a state with some of the toughest drug possession charges in the country, to open discussions about legal access to medical marijuana. In fact, they've even opened up limited access to the herb.
Today, medical marijuana and CBD oil in Utah are legal under specific circumstances. Utahns are awaiting major decisions on medical marijuana, which are set to be decided once and for all in the Fall. [1]
Interestingly, Utah was one of the first states to prohibit the sale of hemp during the initial crackdown across the U.S. in the early 1900s. The longtime stigma against hemp is challenging to shake, yet today there is a new wave of hemp-oil markets opening up across the U.S., including Utah.
All Americans live in a markedly different world now than even a decade ago. Not only have 29 states approved bills legalizing medical (or recreational) use of cannabis across the country,17 states have also approved the use of CBD oil.
Despite this positive movement, CBD oil in Utah and legal access still have a long way to go. Fortunately, considering where the state sat on the subject not long ago, any access is a good place to start. There has also been a great increase of available CBD hemp extractions, for use far beyond the strictly legislated.
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But this isn’t surprising, considering nearly 76 percent of state residents support access to medical marijuana. It seems only logical that many residents have already asked, “Is CBD legal in Utah?”, but instead of waiting for an answer, have gone ahead and acquired it anyway.
History of CBD Oil in Utah
It was only recently that Utah started exploring more open regulations around the medicinal use of CBD oil. In 2014, the passage of House Bill 105 (an Amendment to the Plant Extracts Act), approved use of CBD oil for children with intractable epilepsy. It should be noted that this bill passed unanimously. [2]
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The passage of this bill was well before the recent developments made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recently, the FDA went through an extensive review of a new pharmaceutical CBD preparation and recommended it for approval. However, in 2014, there was no federal nod to hemp-extracted CBD products. Utah state politicians were ahead of their time with their approval of CBD oil. [3]
The House Bill also made it legal for the Department of Agriculture to grow industrial hemp and removed any legal risk from seeking CBD oil therapy for families struggling to manage the challenges of childhood epilepsy.
Working with a doctor, families of children with severe cases of epilepsy could apply for a license to access the valuable CBD oil. Encouragingly, there are also recent moves to ease CBD oil access for other diseases and conditions.
Regulation Needed for CBD Oil in Utah
Unfortunately, the current regulatory CBD framework in Utah is problematic. The regulations that were in place were poorly enforced until a recent contamination issue hit the news.
As mentioned, after the passage of the original bill in 2014, the State saw an explosion of illegal sales of CBD oil in Utah. Sold in health food stores, in antique stores, and even in corner shops, CBD oil was sold everywhere, with no State guidelines on contents, advertising or testing.
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Authorities generally looked the other way when CBD oil was sold outside of the very restrictive framework. It's perhaps due to this lack of statewide regulation that some people fell ill.
This spring, 52 people in Utah became sick after consuming CBD products. According to a report issued by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), many of the samples tested positive for a synthetic compound called 4-CCB.
So, the label or marketing material on the product, called Yolo CBD oil, was false. To date, the manufacturers could not be traced. [4]
Despite what many people might think, synthetic cannabinoids aren’t a ‘safer’ version of organic, natural compounds sourced from hemp. As was the case in Utah, synthetic compounds can have unwanted, even dangerous consequences for the consumer. Hence, the CDC is calling for better State management of what is generally an unregulated market.
Is CBD Oil Legal in Utah Today?
Thankfully, Utah was already underway reworking its CBD access laws when this disaster struck. There have been a few bills circulating through the Houses of government seeking to ease access to CBD oil products, as well as to provide access to medical marijuana under specific circumstances.
The CBD oil bill should, once finalized, make provision for stricter market regulations, and give Utahns access to safer and quality products, no matter their illness.
There is a massive push for all cannabis-related issues in the state of Utah. In the Fall, the state is gearing up to legalize medical marijuana once and for all.
As stressed by sitting Utahn Republican Mike Noel, “This is an issue that our citizens really have asked about. The fact that we have a plant that can give them some respite and can help them if they have convulsions if they have pain, constant pain, we can [pass] it and do what the federal government should have done a long time ago.” With regards to CBD oil, Utah hopefully becomes the next state to give its citizens what they ask for. [5]
Thankfully, you can still enjoy all the benefits of CBD as hemp-derived CBD is readily available and is 100% legal in all US states.
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Sources:
[1] https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/04/16/from-legalizing-medical-marijuana-to-raising-taxes-for-schools-utah-voters-will-have-a-lot-of-decisions-to-make-in-november/
[2] http://utahpoliticalcapitol.com/2014/03/12/cannabis-oil-bill-passes-senate-destined-for-govs-desk/
[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-committee-recommends-first-cbd-oil-product-n867511
[4] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/52-people-sickened-by-fake-cbd-oil-in-utah/
[5] https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/02/09/the-utah-house-voted-on-two-bills-to-legalize-medical-marijuana-both-needed-to-pass-one-didnt/
